Coin operated vending machine for cleaning tobacco pipes



L. A. MOLL March 1, 1938.

COIN OPERATED VENDING MACHINE FQR CLEANING TOBACCO PIPES Filed June 18,1932 4 I'll/II,

. INVENTORY 4 lzom E; Mon. Wig ALfi ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 1, 1938PATENT OFFICE COIN OPERATED VENDING MACHINE FOR CLEANING TOBACCO PIPESLloyd A. Moll, Allentown, Pa., assignor of-one- 'half'fl) MeyerStettner, Allentown, Pa.

Application June 18, 1932, Serial No. 618,001

' Claims. (01. 131-13) My invention relates to improvements in coinoperated vendingmachines for cleaning tobacco pipes of the deposit whichordinarily collects in r the stem and bowlof a pipe after the same has 5been in use for any length 01' time.

Many machines have been devised to remove the deposit of nicotine,saliva and other objec tionable substances from the interior of tobaccopipes, and the more common practice is to 'force a -jet of alcoholthrough the stem and bowl of the pipe. This, in a way, removes some ofthe deposit but it has been found that a thorough cleaning is notaccomplished by means of the alcohol alone. Other machines have beenused in the attempt to rid' tobacco pipes of thin deposit and thesemachines have beenof the pneumatic type which were designed to force airthrough the bowl and'stem' to blow out the nicetine and othersubstances, but air, even when under compression, will not vremove thehard crust which adheres to a pipe'as a result of long and hard usage. Astill further type ,of cleaning apparatus has been contemplated and thisconsists in a purely mechanical cleaner, using ream- 1-35 ers and otherrotary drills to attack the walls of the pipe encrusted by deposits. Thelast type has beenfound eflicient enough as regards the removal of thedeposit, but in the hands of the amateur itis more often thecase thatthe cleaningvhas been done all too well and the walls of the'bowl andstem retreat from the attack of the reamer with deep scars which ruinthe pipe for further use. a

With the foregoing clearly in mind, it is the purpose of my invention toprovide a cleaning device tor tobacco pipes especially designed for useon the counters oi cigar stores and other shops where tobacco productsare oifered for sale, which device is coin operated and adapted in a 40'single operation to force a cleaning fluid through the pipe from stemto bowl with compressed air as a carrier for the fluid so that thelatter will find its way into every crack and opening which may beavailed of to loosen' the deposits. Alter 4 the fluid hasbeen entirelypassed through the pipe, continued blasts of compressed air will followthe fluid to remove the already loosened substances and to evaporate anyofthe fluid which may have been absorbed by the walls of the bowl andstem. a

In a machine oi. the character'deseribed in the foregoing it isessential that'it be designed to ac-' nozzle; and

view of still another in an; interchangeable nozzle which may havevarious forms or shapes for its tips to be inserted into either a smallround opening in the tip of the mouthpiece, a large opening formed inanother model, or a long oval another mouthpiece.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a receptaclelocated directly beneath the inverted bowl' 0! the pipe being cleaned toreceive the fluid after having been blown through the pipe. a

It is also intended that pipe accommodating nipples, such as hereincontemplated. be independently vended. These may be madeoi severalsuitable materials, and such as are intended either for a single use orsuch as are intended for repeated uses. 4

I have accomplished these objects by means of a machine which embodiesin its structure an air line, a receptacle for the cleaning fluid and aslot used .in still conduit leading into the air line, means forsupporting the pipe at its mouthpiece and for intro ducing the fluidandair into andthrou'gh the pipe, and a coin controlled device operativelyas sociated with valves controlling the flowof fluid and air, wherebythe fluid is first carried through the pipe on a blast of air andthereafter collected in a receptacle while the air continues to throughthe pipe.

One embodiment of my invention is described in .the followingspecification, set forth in theappended claims; and illustrativelyexemplified in the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure 1 is a top plan elevational view improved cleaning device;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the same with the front panelremoved;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the device showing the coinoperated attachment;

Figures 4 and iAare substantially transverse sectional views through thefluid and air conduit taken on lines 4-4 and 4A4A, respectively,

otmy

, of Figure 2;

.Figure 5 is a substantially longitudinal sectional view of one form ofnozzle with a pipe in PRICE Figure 6 is a similar view of another formof v Figure '7 is 'a sectional modificationof a nozzle.

Referring to the drawing, M denotes abox-like container which houses allof the mechanism of the device and which in the upper portion contains atank or reservoir ll adapted to receive the supply of cleaning fluid tobe used to clean the pipes. A cam shaft 12 is journaled in bearings l3disposed longitudinally of the box -l and at one end projects throughthe end wall to receive a. coin wheel I. The coin wheel I4 is providedwith four equally spaced radial slots I5 to re ceive a coin l6 which isfed thereto through an inclined coin chute H. The chute I1 is disposedat about an angle of 30 from the perpendicular line of the center of theshaft l2 so that the coin will drop of its own weight towards one of theslots IS in the wheel l4. Loose on the shaft l2, adjacent the wheel I4,is the hub l8 of a lever IS, the hub l8 being provided with a radialslot 20 adapted to register with a slot l5 of the wheel l4 so that asthe coin enters the slot I5 it will project into the slot 20 and causethe wheel I to revolve approximately 90 with the hub l8 and lever l9. Atthis point the coin will roll. out of the slots l5 and 20 and the handleor lever may be returned to its initial upright position by means of aspring 2|. A removable housing 22 is carried by the end wall of the boxIII to enclose the coin operating mechanism, as illustrativelyexemplified in Figure 3.

The cam shaft l2 carries two cams 23 and 26, the latter beingprovidedwith four high points and gradual risers leading thereto in,,thedirection of rotation of the shaft. The other cam 23 is provided withfour long dwells and four short high points, the latter being disposedor arranged slightly in advance of the high points of the cam 25;.

Leading downwardly from the bottom of the reservoir H is a pipe 25 andspring closing valve 26 which is provided with a stem 2! arranged in thepath of the high points of the cam 23, so that as each high point passesthe valve the same will open and allow a certain quantity of the fluidto escape from the reservoir. Below the valve 26 a pipe 28 leads to thestem of a T fitting 29, the

cross head thereof being connected at one end to a pipe conduit 30 andspring closing valve 3i. The conduit 30 beyond the valve 3| is connectedto an air line 32 which receives a supply of compressed air from asource, not shown. The stem 33 of the valve 3| is disposed in the pathof the high points of the cam 24 so that for each quarter turn of thelatter the valve will open and remain open for substantially the entire90 through which the cam turns and in accordance with the contour of therisers the cam will cause the opening in the valve to increase untilthe,full movement has been completed, thus a small amount of air willfirst pass through the conduit 30 to Join the fluid which has beenallowed to escape into the T fitting from the advance opening of thevalve 25.

The other end of the cross piece of the T fitting 29 is connected to apipe 34 which leads through the end wall of the box lll opposite that,

carrying the coin mechanism to receive a rubber nipple 35. The nipple 35is a tubular device adapted at its free end to be forced over the tip ofthe mouthpiece of the pipe to support the latter in position to becleaned. Arranged inside the nipple 35 is a nozzle 36 which isa metaltube having a tip shaped-to flt into theopening of the tip of themouthpiece. In Figure 5 the opening is a small round oriflce and the endof the nozzle 36 is reduced accordingly. Figure 6 shows a larger openingleading into the mouthpiece and the nipple which may be interchanged forany other form, is also larger to fit such mouthpiece. Figure '7 shows amouthpiece with along narrow slit and in this case the nipple isflattened to be into a receptacle 38 disposed along the bottom of thebox, as shown in Figure 2.

In operation, the pipe to be cleaned is inserted tip end first into thenipple 35 to bring the nozzle 36 into the opening in the end of themouthpiece.

The bowl in inverted position is placed over the funnel 31 and thecleaning operation started by placing a coin in the chute l1 andallowing it to drop into the slots l5 and 20. The lever I9 is thenpulled downwardly until stopped by the end of the slot 22a in thehousing 22. The short high point of the cam 23, as it passes, opens thevalve 26 long enough to allow some of the liquid cleaner from thereservoir to-collect in the T-fltting 29. The valve 26 is then releasedand it closes after which the cam 24 slowly opens its valve to permitair to pass into the 'T-fitting 29 and carry the liquid through the pipe34, nipple 35 an'dinto the pipe. As the volume of air increases theliquid has loosened the deposit in the pipe and carries it through thestem and bowl into the funnel 31 and receptacle 36. While the highpoint" of the cam 24 is held against the stem of the valve in thedownward position of the lever, the full force of air will be directedinto and through the pipe to remove all deposit loosened by the liquidand to evaporate any portion of the latter which may have been absorbedby the walls of the stem and bowl. When the operation has been completedthe lever is released and returns to its initial upright position,bringing the coin slot of its hub into register with the next slot inthe wheel it.

Having nowdescribed my invention in detail,

what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pipe cleaning machine, in combination, a housing and a reservoirtherein for supplying cleaning fluid, a conduit from said reservoir, aspring closed valve arranged in said conduit, an air conduit forsupplying compressed air in communication with said fluid conduit, aspring closed valve arranged in the air conduit, a conduit from the airand fluid conduits leading outside the housing, an injector for the endof the last conduit to receive the mouthpiece of a tobacco pipe for thepassage of the fluid and air therethrough, a pair of cams for operatingthe liquid and air valves to first open and then allow the liquid valveto close and thereafter to hold the air valve open, and means operatedfrom the exterior of the housing to rotate the cams.

2. A pipe cleaning machine, in combination, a housing and a reservoirtherein for supplying cleaning fluid, a conduit from said reservoir, 9.spring closed valve arranged in said conduit, an air conduit forsupplying compressed air communicating with said fluid conduit, a springclosed valve arranged in the air conduit, a conduit from the fluid andair conduits leading outside the housing, a nipple on the end of thelast conduit to connect a tobacco pipe to said last. conduit, a shaftjournaled in said housing and projecting outside at one end thereof, twocams turning with the shaft and in operative contact with said valves tofirst open the fluid valve and then allow it to close and thereafterhold the air valve open, and coin controlled means operating said shaft.

3; A pipe cleaning machine, as claimed in claim 2, in which each cam isprovided with iour.equally spaced high points, the high points" ,conduitand the fluid valve closed before the air valve is opened.

4. As an article of manufacture, a. pipe cleaning nipple comprising atubular flexible member housing a metal nozzle, the free end of whichfits into the slot in the tip of the mouthpiece of a smoking pipe, withsaid flexible member engaging over said mouthpiece for retaining saidnozzle in said slot.

5. A pipe cleaning machine, in combination,

a housing and a reservoir therein for supplying cleaning fluid,v aconduit from said reservoir, a spring-closed valve arranged in saidconduit, an air conduit tor-supplying compressed air communicating withsaid fluid conduit, a springclosed valve arranged in'the air conduit, aconduit from the fluid and airconduits leading outside the housing, anipple on the end of the last conduit adapted to be connected to atobacco pipe, a shaft journaied in said housing and projecting outsideat one end thereof, .two cams turning with the shaft and in operativecontact with said valves to first open the fluid valve and then allow itto close and thereafter hold the air valve open, and means for rotatingthe shaft.

LLOYD A. Morin.

